The Conflict Theory & Feminist Perspective: How We Can Diversify Media
A current challenge I’ve noticed in the mass communication industry is the lack of diversity within the media. Since I was interested in content creation as an undergraduate student, I’ve set a goal for myself to somehow set foot into the industry and make sure women and Latinx feel more represented, and represented correctly, within the media. As a woman and Latina myself, I feel as though these are the groups I can best identify with.
The conflict theory, as well as the feminist perspective are both theories that I believe can resolve the issue of the lack of representation within the media. To begin, it is important to know what the conflict theory and the feminist perspective are in relationship to media. The conflict theory refers to mass media often only showing the “dominant” perspective, meaning that certain issues and individuals shown and portrayed within the media are preferred over other issues or perspectives that can seem more important. This relates to the individuals that choose what media gets put out to the public known as the gatekeepers. Most of the gatekeepers that choose which media is shown to the public happen to white, rich men. Therefore, information and media that is provided to the public is from the white male perspective, not making it diverse at all. The public then gets one perspective that makes it completely unrelatable.
The video below gives further explanation on these theories as well as other important theories that are relevant in mass media communication.
Moreover, the feminist perspective also refers to these white, rich men choosing how women get portrayed in the media. Many stereotypes are depicted of women and they often carry a negative connotation. For example, in many films we see the woman as vulnerable, weak, and very self-centered.
We often also see the woman referred to as the “other.” We can mainly see this with common products that are and should be gender neutral, yet they’re not. Today, we still see razors, ear plugs, pens, workout equipment, and many more products that still create this division of genders. Somehow society believes that just by throwing the color pink on a product instantly makes it specifically for women to use, when women should be able to use these products regardless of the color.
These two theories acknowledge that there is in fact an issue with the way women and other minority groups are represented within society, more specifically, the media. The more these groups are presented in a diminishing manner, the more these stereotypes will continue to be present within our society. As an individual entering the mass media communication industry, it is important to see and point out these issues and find a way in which we can change the ideologies that have been presented in media for years now by these gatekeepers.
